Art of preparing hydrocarbon products



Sept, 20, 1932. E, LOQMIS 1,877,921

ART OF PREPARING HYDROCARBON PRODUCTS Filed Dec. 3, 1929 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 20, 1932 UNITED "STATES NATHANIEL E. LOOMIS,'OF WESTFIELD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO STANDARD OIL DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE ART OF PREPARING HYDBOGARIBON PRODUCTS Application filed December 3, 1929. Serial No. 411,881.

The present/invention relates to a process for improving the quality of naphtha for use as motor fuel and will be fully understood from the followng desorption and the drawing.

notes a heating coil arran ed The drawing is a semi-diagrammatic view in sectional elevation of an apparatus constructed to carry out my invention and indicates the flow of materials.

The present invention is a continuaton in part of my prior application Serial No. 57 6,- 640, filed July 21, 1922, and entitled Art of preparing hydrocarbon products.

Referring to the drawing, numeral 1 de- Within a suitable furnace setting 2. egulated streams of oil, the nature of which will be described below, and air or oxygen are fed from storage receptacles 3 and 4 respectively through the coil which is heated to an elevated temperature. The oil modified by the air or oxygen treatment is discharged into a separator tower 5. This is fitted with baffles or partitions to provide surface and with holes to allow up- 25 ward passage of vapor and reflux of liquid,

so that the vapors may pass through successive layers of liquid hydrocarbons. A cooling coil 8 is placed in the u per part of tower 5 to produce the desired re ux of heavier constituents but if preferred cold liquid" oil can 5 rated hydrocarbons and poor in be introduced through line 7 for the same purpose.

Vapor is conducted to condenser 10 by line 9 and therefrom to light oil storage 11. The heavier fractions condensed in the tower are withdrawn by line 12 and after coolingin cooler 13 are collected in storage tank 14.

The oil used in my process is a distillate product free from asphaltic, tarry, or unvaorizable or diflicultly vaporizable materials, or example, gasoline, heavy naphtha and kerosene are suitable oils of this character. It preferably has a final boiling point below about 600 F. and is relatively rich in satunnsaturates, such as olefins and aromatics. The volume of air used should be below about 25 cubic feet per pound of hydrocarbon and it will be understood that up to this limit the greater the quantity used, the greater the effect on' the oil. Temperature should be below ordinary cracking temperatures, which begin about 700 F. My preferred temperature range is from 400 to 700 F. Pressure is ordinarily no higher than required to force the oil and air through the heater.

The characterof the products is different from any heretofore obtained by oxidation processes. There is no substantial formation of oxygenated products derived from the liquid hydrocarbons and no substantial formation of products of higher boiling point and molecular weight than the feed, such as are found in asphalt oxidation or oxidation of heavy oils containing asphalt or tarry, highly unsaturated materials. There appears to be some decomposition, as indicated by formation of some lower boiling hydrobut the principal action is a dehy- This results in a product rich in unsaturates, olefins and the like of substantially the same boiling range as the feed oil, and very valuable as a motor fuel, due to its anti-detonating qualities. No catalytic substances are required in the process. The formation of unsaturates is readily demonstrated by the great increase in sulphuric acid absorption of the product over the feed oil. The product should be treated for removal of gum forming materials and for this purpose I prefer alkali washing the product or washing and redistillation with steam, cutting the distillate to 400 F. end point or thereabouts for use as motor fuel.

As an example of the operation of my proccarbons, drogenatlon.

ess, a petroleum distillate rich in saturated hydrocarbons as denoted by an acid absorption of 9%, had the following characteristics:

Gravity 38. 9 A. P. I. I. B. P 428 F. 20% off at 473 50% off at 493 off at 523 F. B. P. 591 This oil is passed rapidly at pressure of about atmospheric throu reach a temperature of a out 560 F. Air is injected into the coil at the rate of about 25 cu. ft. per pound of hydrocarbon and the hcoillsoasto product is discharged into tower 5, from which a heavy and a light out are obtained as follows:

Light cut Heavy cut 5 Gravity 42 A. P. 1. 353 A. P. ll.

1. B. P. 194 F. 438 F. 20% oil' at 258 483 50% ofi' at 416 503 80% off at 441 530 The acid absorption of the light at is 20 When the light out is washed with soda, redistilled, and cut to proper end point it yields an excellent motor fuel having marked antiknock properties. The acid absorption of the heavy cut is 17%.

My invention is not to be limited by any theory of the mechanism of the process nor to any details given merely for purposes of 20 illustration, but only by the following claims in which I wish to claim all novelty inherent in my invention.

I claim:

1. The process of preparing dehydrogenated hydrocarbons having an anti-knock effect when used in a motor fuel which comprises feeding normally liquid petroleum distillate free of asphaltic constituents and rich in saturated hydrocarbon in liquid state to a zone free from an added catalyst of restricted cross section heated to a temperature of between 400 and 700 F. while injecting an effective quantity of air at a rate of less than about 25 on. feet per pound of distillate, and

segregating lighter hydrocarbon fractions of suitable boiling range for motor fuel.

2. Process according to claim 1 in which the oil feed boils substantially completely below about 600 F.

NATHANIEL E. LOOMIS.

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